Although hydroponic fodder production is a fairly new concept, especially to farming and ranching operations in North America, it’s actually been around for several decades. It is true that hydroponically grown fodder can lower your feed costs, reduce land and water use, produce healthier livestock and premium grass-fed products.
Why, you may ask yourself, hasn’t the use of fodder systems become more widely adopted?
It’s a fair and an important question.
First of all, change doesn’t happen overnight, but fodder is making steady inroads in North American agriculture. There have been a few stumbling blocks however:
- Hydroponic fodder systems were pioneered in Australia and enjoyed their best early successes in parts of the world with arid climates and limited water and land available for irrigation, grazing and hay production. In North America, where hay and grain prices have been historically fairly low, and grazing areas have been cheap and mostly unrestricted, there hasn’t been a compelling economic reason to integrate fodder production into livestock operations.
- For many, there simply hasn’t been enough research, evidence and hard data to justify a shift in operations to hydroponic fodder production.
- Many of the hydroponic fodder systems offered on the market have gained notoriety for being fairly labor intensive and for producing mold. Mold, in particular, has been a very big issue which has caused many farms to mothball expensive fodder systems.
Some things have changed.
- Hay and grain prices in North America have become much more sensitive to global hay and grain prices. These prices are on the rise and can be an unpredictable and unwelcome wildcard.
- Many parts of the US and Canada are experiencing severe, multi-year drought conditions which have exposed the vulnerability and insufficiency of current water supplies.
- Consumers demand for organic, pesticide-free, antibiotic-free and grass fed meat and dairy is rising. In addition, many consumers want to see their food produced in more environmentally sustainable ways. While we share the belief that many farming practices are misunderstood and under-appreciated, consumer perception is a fact that must be managed. Commercial fodder systems can be an important part of a solution to environmental, health and food quality concerns.
- A preponderance of evidence now supports the use of sprouted fodder in many livestock operations. The success of many early adopters and emerging research conducted by agricultural scientists indicate hydroponic fodder is living up to it’s promise.
Where does FodderTech fit into all of this?
Fodder production technology has mostly been coasting since it was first developed. Most commercial fodder systems differ very little from the original designs. FodderTech identified four challenges that had to be overcome to make fodder systems truly commercially viable:
- Improve yield. How can our system maximize yield in terms of high germination rates and heavier fodder production. How can we maximize your investment in seed and grain?
- Reduce labor. Many commercial fodder systems’ are simply too labor intensive. How can we largely eliminate labor as a prohibitive factor in fodder production?
- Adaptability to existing infrastructure. Most fodder systems require special housing to accommodate drainage systems and a lot of moisture. How can we build a system which can be easily fitted to existing structures and operate without the need for drainage and without producing dampness, wet floors, rust and rot?
- Eliminate mold. For all the promise of fodder – fresh, green feed year around regardless of weather, reduced water and land use, reduced feed costs and healthier livestock – mold has been the big, fat, fly in the ointment. Mold causes down-time, lost production and additional grain and labor costs in a fodder system. It can also sicken or kill livestock. Thousands of mold spores exist on the surface of every grain. The warm, damp conditions which help the grain to germinate are also very conducive to mold growth. How can we develop a system which reliably grows fodder without producing mold?
How has FodderTech met each of these challenges in it’s newest systems?
FodderTech commercial fodder systems maximize yield in a couple of ways. First, you’ll never have to soak your grain in bleach or strong chemicals which can damage its viability. Our customer’s consistently see germination rates at 97% or higher. Second, while many commercial systems use messy overhead spraying to water the grain, our system uses nutrient film technique (NFT) to deliver water and nutrients at the roots. In seven days, our system will grow 7.5 to 8 pounds of fodder from one pound of grain. Our system is a true hydroponic system which recovers and recycles every drop of unused and unevaporated water you put into it. It’s the most water efficient fodder system in the world.
Our system has been designed to reduce labor inputs. Many of it’s processes are automated including watering schedules, and water quality monitoring, but our system design makes harvesting and reseeding a snap. Our customers use less than one hour per day per ton of fodder produced. In addition, our system doesn’t need to be cleaned nearly as often as other systems.
The newest FodderTech system is modular. Each module is mounted on wheels, connected to a central water source and doesn’t require floor drains, special lighting, high ceilings, wall support or a whole lot of space. As long as you house it in a climate controlled area with good air circulation, it can be easily adapted to any existing building or barn with sufficient space.
Perhaps most importantly, we have developed a system which reliably produces mold-free fodder. This is accomplished with a combination of system design, and protocols. In addition, good quality grain and a clean, climate controlled growing environment are important. We believe, and think you’ll agree, that mold should be a manageable issue. A fodder system represents a significant investment for your operation, and we think the ability to consistently grow mold-free fodder is a reasonable expectation.
